About Strange Witch Tests

During the Salem witch trials, over 150 men and women were accused of witchcraft. At the time, the religious leaders created methods of testing the accused to see if they were in fact a witch. These methods include the sink, prayer, scale and Satan's mark test.

History of

The Salem witch trials took place between 1692 and 1693. Over the course of the witch hunt, nearly 150 people were accused of being witches. The accused ranged from slaves to laundry women to homeless women; almost all people accused were outside the accepted circle of townspeople and often were social pariahs. The witch trials began when the niece and daughter of Salem's Reverend Parris began displaying strange symptoms. It was decided that they were under the influenced of Satan, and had been "bewitched'" by someone. Accusations and a large-scale witch hunt ensued, with more young girls claiming they too had been bewitched. Once someone was accused of being a witch, they had to stand trial and undergo witch tests.

The Facts

The witch tests ranged from benign to deadly. The sink test involved tying rocks to the accused and placing them in water. If they sank, they were proclaimed innocent. If they floated, they were pronounced a witch, and were then hanged. Unfortunately with this test, even if you were innocent you still drowned and never had a chance to live as an innocent person. The Satan's mark test involved a body search for a black mark of Satan. The search was usually performed by a midwife, who would look for an odd black mark on the accused witch's body. If found, the black mark was often poked with needles to see if the person felt pain or bled. If they did not, they were pronounced a witch. The theory was that all normal people bled when poked, and it must be the work of the Devil if they had no reaction. The scales test involved weighing the accused against a metal bound Bible. If they were lighter than the Bible, they were found guilty of witchcraft. If they outweighed the Bible on the scales, they were innocent. The prayer test was another common test . The accused was asked to recite the Lord's Prayer. If they recited it flawlessly without problem, they were proclaimed innocent. If the accused stumbled over words, made a mistake or shrieked during their recitation, they were considered guilty of witchcraft.

Effects

The Salem witch trials had a disturbing effect on Massachusetts. Over 150 people were accused of witchcraft, resulting in the executions of 20 individuals. However, a number of other accused witches died while waiting in prison to be put on trial. Ironically, the only way to be set free was to confess to witchcraft. The magistrate would allow confessed witches to go free as they believed they would name other witches. However, this only resulted in even greater hysteria and more innocent people being accused.

Time Frame

The Salem witch trials took place from February of 1992 until May 1693. They began when Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams experienced symptoms that could not be explained, and ended when Governor Phips pardoned all remaining people in prison on charges of witchcraft. However, it wasn't until almost ten years later that the general court ruled the witch trials to be unlawful.

Geography

The witch trials took place primarily in Salem. However, other nearby towns in colonial Massachusetts participated as well, including Ipswich, Andover and Boston. The trials that took place in Salem were the most high-profile, and therefore receive the most mention in history.